Sweet Like You
by applehoneycakes
Summary: High school senior Sakura Kinomoto is surprised when her Foods teacher, Mr. Syaoran Li, becomes the new assistant manager at the cafe she works at. While they eventually become friends, she doesn't know that he holds romantic feelings towards her. Also, one of her best friends, Eriol Hiiragizawa, may also feel just the same way too. What's a girl to do in a situation like this?


It was a typical Monday morning for Eriol Hiiragizawa. He got up with the help of his so called "annoying" alarm clock at six-thirty, ate breakfast, packed a lunch, and took twenty minutes to walk to school. There, he would then put his backpack away in his dull grey locker and find his friend Tomoyo, who, around this time, was usually in the library browsing the shelves on the hunt for another good read. Sakura, his other friend that he hung out with, typically got to school right when the bell rung, so it was uncommon to see her early.

When Eriol came to Japan during his second year of middle school, he found the transaction quite easy, especially at school. In England, he learnt Japanese for about a year upon knowing that he and his family would be moving to Japan and quickly became fluent in both reading and speaking. His teachers were planning to place him in modified classes, assuming that he would have difficulty in the new environment, but after looking over the entrance exam that he took prior to and after some discussion, put him in a mix of both regular and advanced lessons.

During his first week at Tomoeda Middle School, many of his classmates were curious of how life was overseas and would ask him questions. Eriol didn't mind answering them as long as he also got to ask that person some questions that came up throughout the conversations. One of them was Sakura. Instead of asking him about England like he assumed she would, she wanted to know if he could help her with English homework. When he said yes, she gave him a smile that made Eriol's heart skip a beat, although at that time, he didn't know why. After that, Sakura invited him to eat lunch with her and Tomoyo the next day as a thank you; the rest became history and now, four years later, the three of them couldn't be any closer.

Eriol swung open the door to the library, embracing the quietness that came within the room. He walked past a few students who were studying at the tables and two book isles before spotting Tomoyo, who was on her tiptoes trying to reach a paperback. Quickening his pace, he got behind his chestnut colored hair friend and grabbed the material. He made it look so easy to do since he towered Tomoyo by a good few inches.

Tomoyo had her brows furrowed curiously before she turned around to see who leaned against her. "'1001 Ways to Kill a Zombie,'" Eriol said, reading the title of the book that he held onto. "Nice."

She snatched it out of his hands with a sigh. "It's not my fault I've read most of the books in this library."

"Even the dictionary?" he asked, eyebrows risen.

"No, but it's next on my to-read list." He chuckled as he followed her to the check-out desk.

"Only you'd find that interesting, Tomoyo."

Once the librarian handed Tomoyo back her book, they left the library and started towards the only class that Eriol, Tomoyo, and Sakura shared together: Foods. The lab, which was located on the first floor by the front of the school, was also shared in conjunction with the Home Economics class. Three years ago, it got a facelift and all six individual kitchen spaces turned into stainless steel ones. New equipment also got replaced by old ones and since then, it became one of the most sought after classes by students.

As Eriol and Tomoyo reached the room door, the sound of the bell erupted loudly. They went and settled into one of the tables in the adjoining room, where lessons were taught if cooking wasn't in the schedule. Even though they were to go in the kitchen today—Monday, Wednesday, and Friday were the assigned days—everyone had to go there for attendance regardless.

By the time the second bell rung again five minutes later, and the room was filled with chatting teenagers, Eriol begun to worry that the seat beside him still was empty. He could not recall Sakura ever being late for school, so he pulled out his phone, planning to send a text so he could ask where she was, but stopped when he saw a hand stuck out towards him.

"What did I say about cell phones being in my classroom, Mr. Hiiragizawa?"

Eriol slowly brought his head up to see that the voice belonged to Mr. Li, his Foods teacher. Being only twenty-three, he was currently the youngest person on staff and most handsome, well, according to most of the girls at Tomoeda High. He also was well-liked by everyone because of his carefree attitude towards people.

"Sorry," Eriol mumbled reluctantly, placing his phone onto Mr. Li's waiting hand.

"Since this is only your first offence, you can come and collect it after school. Make sure it doesn't happen again, though."

"Thanks." He saw his teacher give him an assuring smile before slipping the mobile into his pocket and walked to the front of the room. Since that plan didn't work out very well, Eriol settled with glancing at the door with the hope that Sakura would show up soon.

"Alright!" Mr. Li said loudly, clapping his hands twice. The room instantly silenced once everyone heard him. "Like I said last Friday, this week is dessert week. Today, we'll be making strawberry shortcake today. Once I hand out the recipe, get into your groups and grab the necessary ingredients before you start. If you run into any trouble, don't hesitate to ask me. Is everything clear?" There were a few who said yes and a lot of head nods. "Okay, let's start."

Once they got their recipe, Eriol went to get the ingredients while Tomoyo and Rika, the two other people in their group besides Sakura, grabbed the utensils. Once they eventually had all they needed laid out on the counter, they washed their hands before getting to work.

Halfway through cutting strawberries, Tomoyo came and stood beside Eriol while she mixed a batter of some sorts. "Did you get the chance to send a text to Sakura?" she asked him, worry evident in her soft voice.

He shook his head. "No. I couldn't even type two words before you saw what happened. Do you remember her saying anything to you about being late or not coming today?"

"Not that I can recall. If she did, I'm pretty sure I'd remem—"

Hearing the rustling of someone coming into the room, they both looked and saw their auburn haired friend. Eriol let out a sigh of relief as he watched her hastily go over to Mr. Li, who stood by a few giggling girls. She didn't even stop by her locker to put her things away, he noticed.

"I-I'm sorry I'm late," Sakura hastily said to their teacher once he became aware of her behind him. "I forgot to set my alarm clock and—"

"Sakura," he said calmly, interrupting the explanation she begun to present to him. He put a hand on her arm. "It's fine. It happens to everyone once or twice, right? No need to worry."

The nervousness that she felt a second ago quickly diminished and she let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She knew that Mr. Li was nice, but for him to reassure her that it was fine that she was late? That was something new. "Thank you," Sakura said sincerely. She directed a small smile towards him before heading to the adjacent room, where she dropped her backpack on a table and grabbed a white apron from the plastic bin that was on the floor by the door. As she put it over her head and tied the strings together, she walked over to her cooking group. Rika, who was making whip cream, was the first who said hi, then Eriol and Tomoyo.

"Sakura, we were so worried that something happened to you!" cried Tomoyo, putting down the bowl she held onto.

She wrapped her arms around her best friend. "Sorry, Tomo-chan," Sakura said, using her nickname. "I stayed up late reading that book you recommended to me the other day I came over. It was so good that if Toya didn't come and see that my light was still on, I would have probably not slept."

Tomoyo laughed as Sakura let go. "I know! When I read it, I was planning to skip supper so I could finish it, but mother wouldn't allow it."

Eriol silently regarded the two girls as they happily chatted. To be honest, he couldn't really understand their love for books. Sure, he didn't mind reading one or two when they got assigned for English class, but other than that, the closest thing he got to reading outside of school were the magazines that lay around his house. Like a lot of boys his age, he was into sports and video games. He was going to be team captain for basketball when that rolled around in two weeks, and with all the effort that he put for the last three years, it was great he was finally getting recognized. His eyes then went to Sakura, who started to giggle at something Tomoyo said. When he first told her about the exciting news at the beginning of the school year, she gave him a hug in congratulations and bought him lunch at the cafeteria despite declining. Later that day, when news spread and Eriol got more compliments—mostly from team members—he couldn't help but think back to the bright smile she gave him. Maybe it was then that he begun to really notice that giddy feeling he got in his stomach whenever she treated him like he was special.

He dropped his knife and draped his arms around both of them. "Hey," he said playfully. "Aren't you two supposed to be, oh, I don't know, making food?"

Tomoyo pushed him back. With an exasperated breath, she sighed, "Yes, mother," causing Sakura to stifle a giggle behind her. He returned her answer by sticking his tongue out.

::::::

Everyone in the room finished making their cakes by the time second period almost rolled around. They had already eaten the delicious dessert and washing dishes were the only thing left to do. Sakura, who volunteered to do them because she came late, handed the last dish to Rika to dry and drained the water. She made sure the counter already had a wipe down before dropping the wet tea cloth into the hamper that was located in the front corner. At the end of the day, either Mr. Li or the Home Ec. teacher was to throw the cloths and worn aprons into the washing machine that was in the closet sized room at the back. They would then have to put them in the dryer and fold them afterward.

Just as she and Rika went to the next room, the bell erupted and Sakura went to get her backpack, except stopped when she heard her name being called. Mr. Li stood beside her with shortcake in hand, paper napkin below it. It was well known that girls liked giving homemade treats to the so called "most handsome teacher" so she guessed he got it from one of her classmates. He always accepted them, but Sakura wondered whether he actually ate them all because if he did, he'd probably be twice his weight.

"Yes?" she asked him.

"Could you wait a few moments? I'd like to talk to you once everyone's done." He gestured towards the kitchen, where a few kids were frantically putting away utensils and washing dishes, hoping they can leave before second period starts.

"Of course." She didn't have a clue what he would want to say to her, but went to settle in the chair by her bag to wait as he went back to the other room. Eriol, Tomoyo, and everyone else that was in here already left. Yawning, she put her head down on the cool table. Fatigue from staying up 'till three gave her a mild headache, and she had to constantly rub her dry eyes. She was glad she worked later in the day so that she'd be able to drink some coffee and make her more alert.

"—kura. Sakura?" A hand was on her shoulder and she brought her head up when she noticed it. She saw Mr. Li giving her a concerned look. "Are you okay? Do you want to go see the nurse?"

She shook her head. "Oh, no, I'm not sick. I'm just tired, that's all." When he still looked worried, she patted his hand. Usually Sakura wouldn't act like this close towards teachers, but at that moment, he reminded her of Fujitaka, her father. He was very protective of his two children and constantly gave them endless love. Currently, he and her mother, Nadeshiko, were on a three month trip to Europe, something they've been looking forward to since Sakura and her brother surprised them with two airplane tickets on their twenty-fifth anniversary. When asked how they could raise so much money for it, they both answered that they've been saving money from their jobs since last year. "Wasn't there something you wanted to ask me?" she asked Mr. Li.

"Huh? Oh, yes!" He looked frazzled for a second, but quickly gained composure. "I was worried that something was wrong. You've never come late before, and when I saw you, you seemed exhausted. I thought you had forced yourself to get out of bed with a cold."

She wondered if he concerned himself like that with every student. "Well, thanks," she said, smiling. "But I'm fine. The reason I'm so tired is because I stayed up late reading a book. It's nothing a good night's sleep the next day can't cure."

"That's great." He then paused. "I'm sorry; am I asking you too much?"

A giggle came out. Light pink had crept on his cheeks and he must have all of a sudden felt embarrassed for some reason. "No, no you're not. You're just worried, right?"

He opened his mouth, ready to answer, but the bell rung again. Sakura hurriedly stood up with her bag in hand. "I apologize for keeping you for so long," she heard Mr. Li tell her. "I'll give you a late slip to give your next teacher so you don't get in trouble."

"Okay." She followed him to his desk, where he scribbled on a blue paper and handed it to her. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Li," she said as she went to the door.

"Yes, see you tomorrow, Sakura." With that, she half ran to her next classroom, hoping that she'd get there before attendance started.

::::::

It took Syaoran Li at least thirty seconds of standing up, staring at nothing, before he fell down on his chair and put his hands on his face in distress. What happened just now, he thought, should not have happened. He shouldn't have asked her to talk to her after his class was done, he shouldn't have troubled himself with whatever she was going through, and he sure as hell should not have felt his heart beat faster when she unconsciously placed her hand on his. He knew there wasn't any deeper meaning behind it, but it made him unexpectedly happy.

"Did you save me a piece of cake?"

He broke out of his thoughts and looked up to see Yamazaki Takashi, the boys PE teacher, and long-time friend, standing across his desk in a blue gym shirt and black shorts. He didn't even hear him come in. "Yeah, it's over there," Syaoran said, directing his head to the table that he and Sakura sat at. Whenever it's cooking day, he knew Yamazaki made sure to come after class and check if there was any food. They both didn't teach a class in second so it was convenient too. Nine out of ten times, there usually was since for some reason, girls enjoyed giving him food. Whenever he attempted to decline, they always said things like "I have a toothache so I can't eat sweets today" or "It's a thank you for teaching me how to make it."

"This is really delicious," Yamazaki told him in between bites. "You always never fail to pick out good recipes." When Syaoran didn't say anything, he lowered the shortcake down. "You okay, man?"

"What do you mean?"

Well," he said matter-of-factly, "the only times you make that face is when you're either really pissed or have something you can't figure out."

Syaoran chuckled once. "Wow, its times like this that I know we spend way too much time together."

"No, you're just easy to read after a while." He threw the napkin in the trashcan that was a few feet away, landing it perfectly in the clear garbage bag. "C'mon, it can't be something you can't tell your friend of six years."

Syaoran leaned in his chair, letting out a distressed sigh. Sure, he knew that he could tell Yamazaki and not get judged, but that didn't mean he'd not get a scolding. It was against any moral code that teachers were not supposed to have special feelings for any individual student. They were to treat them equally and teach them within the best of their abilities, so it puzzled Syaoran how it could have happen to him. "I—There's a girl I'm interested in," he said in a quiet voice. "But…she unattainable."

"When did you know you liked her?" Yamazaki asked. There was no teasing in his voice anymore, just worry.

When did he know he liked seventeen year old Sakura Kinomoto? He wasn't too sure himself, but it was probably the second school month. He started to notice her with more interest, how she was kind to everyone, how her smile made the room brighten just a little more, and how her smarts and adorableness made him want to talk her longer. When it finally dawned to him what was going on, he actually called in sick for one day to clear his head. The next day, he thought he was ready to face her but when he instantly laid eyes on her, it made him actually miss her more. Putting on this poker face for six and a half hours for five days a week was difficult, but it had to be done. It was better for one person to hurt rather than two. "A while," he simply told Yamazaki.

"Does she already have a boyfriend or is she moving? Maybe you could—" Syaoran shook his head, indicating that it was no use; nothing could solve the problem at hand.

With a small smile, Yamazaki stood up and went over to his friend, where he put an assuring hand on his shoulder. "I can tell that you don't want to talk about it at the moment, but whatever the outcome is, make sure it's one where you're both happy with the end result, not one where you suffer while thinking you did the right thing."

In the past, Yamazaki was his go to guy whenever he had girl problems. Out of all his friends, he knew he'd get the right advice from him, considering that he'd been dating his wife, Chiharu, since the first year of middle school. It was still the same now. He was glad that Yamazaki wasn't pressuring him to tell him who the girl was, and he respected him for that. "Thanks," he said, returning a smile. "But it's going to take me a while to know what I'm going to do. I'm still trying to figure out my options."

"Alright. But whatever you do, make sure it's not a stupid one."

He smirked. "Who do you think I am? Of course whatever I do won't be stupid!" They both let out a few laughs from his mocking behavior.

"Hey, are you still eating lunch with me and Chiharu?" Yamazaki went to sit on the table closest to Syaoran's desk. "We made some extra sushi since you said liked it last time."

For the next hour, Syaoran was able to dismiss his dilemma, but even so, with each minute that passed, he couldn't help but feel that his emotions were growing stronger and stronger.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hello there new readers! I started writing this fanfic almost a year ago and took it down months later because I had a few issues with it. At the time, my grammar and writing was not as strong so as I continued, I felt disappointed with what had become of it. I know I am not perfect, and neither is my writing, but as long as I know I did the best I could with it, I am satisfied. This follows the same plot line as what I wrote before so I won't have a very difficult time writing.

For anyone wondering, this CCS fanfic is a teacherxstudent story involving SakuraxSyaoran with some SakuraxEriol thrown into the mix. I hope you enjoy it and stick around to be able to read until the end because that would make me very happy!


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